A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8538696 Details
Epoch: 400 Number of transactions in block: 39 slot_no: 87690719 epoch_slot_no: 253919 block_no: 8538519 slot_leader_id: 4555470 size: 59759 time: 2023-03-19 20:16:50 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x21f0aaf8320059fd55b9c11ce473209b0928797ef6f59cacd6d0cab1a71fe3adBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v0encvmzxvrq6t7z8kcv97zfl6zs7cw9m3s668rw34vwkk9yqh4qsq0szv op_cert: \x3f78bc2833a71365020a34a6c7ad3a474336da52388b40374782eaaed43e6d75 op_cert_counter: 16